MACASKILL said the earmarked local courts are "lovely to look at, but they cost a fortune to maintain" as he answered questions on Scottish Court Service proposals to shut a number of courts buildings.

SCOTLAND'S aging courts belong to a bygone age of shires, stocks and executions and are too expensive to maintain, according to the Justice Secretary.

Kenny MacAskill has been accused of disregarding local culture and history, centralisation and unnecessary cutbacks by backing Scottish Court Service proposals to shut 10 sheriff courts and several justice of the peace courts to save £4.5 million.

Mr MacAskill acknowledged the central role the courts have in these communities but said many of the towns they were built to serve have shrunk. He highlighted the demise of many local churches.

Local newspapers will be able to adapt to the "limited distances" they will have to travel to "name and shame" local criminals, he said.

He also insisted that the cuts were made by Westminister politicians who take a "much harsher and brutal" stance on local court closures.

"Selkirk was presided over by Sir Walter Scott," he said.

"These courts provide great history and a great landmark in our communities, but equally they come with challenges in the modern world. They're lovely to look at, but they cost a fortune to maintain.

"Some of these things are historical. Scottish Borders has four courts because we had Peebleshire, Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire and so on.

"I grew up in Linlithgow which had a sheriff court which moved to Livingston because the population moved. Linlithgow is no longer a county town. It's a lovely place but business comes out of Livingston."

Labour MSP Iain Gray said Haddington Sheriff Court meets the Scottish Government's efficiency target of disposing of 85 per cent of cases within 20 weeks and costs £2,416 a day, but is being subsumed into Edinburgh which falls short of target at 58 per cent and costs over £4,000 a day.

"My local court is delivering close to your target," he said. "Why are you going to close my court and move it to Edinburgh?"

Mr MacAskill said: "I don't think it's your court, as such. You are the elected representative. It covers a wide area of East Lothian, which was originally Haddingtonshire.

"You have spoken in Parliament about how it was there pre-reformation. Equally, there are a variety of other matters that have had change in that time from capital punishment to the stocks. Life moves on."

Haddington only operates one court a day whereas Edinburgh operates 12 and will be able to cope with the added business, he said.

"It might only be a matter of 15 miles on a map but you're removing local justice from towns and villages and making people travel to cities," she said.

"Stonehaven was a county town for a long time and has now been kind of demoted. Do you understand the importance of justice being seen to be done in your own community?"

Mr MacAskill said: "It is important that these matters are dealt with and aired in the local paper or elsewhere, but I do believe given the limited distance the difficulties for the local press can be overcome.

"Nobody is going into this with any relish or zealousness. These are are matters that challenge all areas of civil life.

"Cuts don't always come from the government. The Church of Scotland in an area in my constituency are looking to go from three churches to one.

"It's all very sad but I fully support them. Is it the right thing to do? Yes. Is it driven by change? Definitely."

Conservative MSP John Lamont said: "Is it correct that Scottish Government has cut the SCS capital budget by 80 per cent in the last four years?"

Mr MacAskill said: "Yes, I accept that I have to make these cuts but it's the government policy that you support that has forced this upon us.

"It gives me no comfort and joy to come here and preside over cuts, but this is because of the mismanagement of the economy of a previous UK Government and the slash and burn actions of the present one."

He quoted Jonathan Djanogly, the UK under-secretary of state for justice, who said it is "unacceptable that dozens of buildings never intended and not fit for the requirements of the modern court systems are still being used in the current financial position".

Mr MacAskill said: "Those words are probably much harsher and more brutal than I would have expressed but I quote them because they come from your party member down south imposing greater cuts."